The
Lay Subsidy was a tax based on the value of lands and possessions and
was used to raise money for the Crown to facilitate such things as payment
of military forces and building of ships.
The spelling and format of monetary amounts has been left unaltered. For
those unfamiliar with pre-decimal English money it will help to know that
there were twelve pence (d) in a shilling (s) and twenty shillings in
a pound (£).